Offering small unsecured loans to the world’s poorest was meant to transform the lives of millions but in Sri Lanka microfinance has left many women with debts they simply can't repay.
In a special two-part Business Daily report, Ed Butler visits the villages in Sri Lanka where many of those otherwise excluded from organised finance have taken small loans only for their finances to spiral into debt.
What's gone wrong with mircofinance? Has it led to a new wave of predatory lending?
Presenter / producer: Ed Butler Image: Women in Welioya; Credit: BBC